


Last Chance

by BluBooThalassophile



Series: HfaB Universe [52]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Family Drama, Family Issues, Gen, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 12:01:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21457723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluBooThalassophile/pseuds/BluBooThalassophile
Summary: Raquel just helped out a Bat because no one else was around. Now she's dealing with Dick's last chance.
Relationships: Augustus Freeman & Raquel Ervin & Amistad Ervin, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Raquel Ervin & Dick Grayson
Series: HfaB Universe [52]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/958764
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	Last Chance

It was a Justice League party, she was only here because Augustus had volunteered to babysit and she needed a ‘night out’ according to him. She wasn’t one to argue with that declaration, having finally graduated from college; which had taken two years longer than planned because of jobs, superhero gig, and Amistad. Amistad was a blessing, everyday she would stand by that, but the year he was sick was the scariest and most expensive year of her life. She wasn’t on speaking terms with her family, and Augustus had taken her in, in so many ways, and he had been her largest aid. Augustus; Pops to Amistad, was more like a father to her at this point, Raquel honestly didn’t know what she’d have done without him.

Anyways, she was here, gussied up for a private, black tie event for the JL.

She felt a bit ridiculous to be honest; she didn’t get all dressed up anymore and she hadn’t had a date in God knew how long because of life, and it felt weird to be feeling pretty like this. She was a mom for Christ’s sake! And she had church in the morning with Augustus and Amistad.

Walking into WT, she saw many heroes already casually gathered, many without masks in the confines of their base. She smiled a bit as she looked around the party for some of her friends. Virgil had said he’d be here, but he was going to be late. Naomi should be somewhere up here.

Raquel immediately spotted Duke and David; despite their domino masks at the punch table, which had her ducking through the crowd for the Bats.

“Heyya fellas, miss me!?” she grinned as she slipped between the boys.

“Raquel!” Duke smiled as he hugged her. David gave her a shy smile and she waved at him. David was always so much more reserved than Duke, and he still tensed when people outside his family touched him.

“So, I’ve been meaning to talk to you, and say I’m so happy you saved the damn world and found your dead but not dead brother,” Raquel informed them.

Her eyes spotted the not dead Nightwing standing with Flash II and Tigress then, he was swaying slightly, and seemed a bit intoxicated.

“I’m not sure if it’s a curse or a blessing we found him,” Duke muttered sourly.

“What happened?” she demanded.

“You don’t want to know.”

“Oh come on! I have a kid! I have no life! I live vicariously through others for my drama!” she protested.

“How is Amistad?” David asked in his smooth, crisp, baritone voice. Raquel would admit she loved his accent, adored it, could listen to David talk for hours if the man would ever bother to talk. He had a voice like Morgan Freeman or Dennis Haysbert, it was smooth and pleasurable to listen to, it was honey for ears.

“He’s great, he’s having fun reigning terror on Pops tonight, they’re going to have a movie marathon, I think Pixar movies. Amistad is insistent he wants to be Bruce from Finding Nemo.” Raquel chuckled. “He’s decided that our address is P. Sherman forty-two Wallaby Way Sydney Australia.”

“Really?”

“Mmhmm, I had a delightful parent-teacher conference on that after Stranger Danger class,” Raquel sighed.

“I don’t know how you do the single mom thing,” Duke admitted. “I mean, we’re a village, so I’m always picking up the kids, but we help each other out, I can’t imagine how hard it is to be a single mom.”

“Thank God for Augustus,” Raquel cheered her mentor. Augustus had gotten her emancipated from her family, he had helped her get through high school, he had helped her through college, and he had mentored her as a hero. She might not always agree with him, but she could respect him, and she found him to be more her family than her family at times. Hell, her family hadn’t even wanted to meet Amistad, not really.

“I got him,” David sighed. “Oh, no, never mind,” David blinked as Red Robin appeared and caught Nightwing.

Raquel felt a twinge of pity for Dick Grayson, she did. She had read the tabloids, seen the actual love he held for his wife and family, watched him and Starfire fight side by side without a hitch or a hick up in their contrasting styles. They were a powerful couple, with that once a lifetime sort of love that wrote the cheesy romance novels, she secretly stashed. She would deny those books were even in her library, but she had a small hidden selection for nights she could soak in the tub or read before bed; they took some of the loneliness away. Dick and Kori seemed like two halves of a whole, a true unit, love birds who were a mated pair for life. Their love was a beautiful one, and now it was merely a beautiful tragedy. It must be hard to lose the person who seemed like the other half of you; at least that’s what she thought from what she had seen of Dick and Kori’s romance.

“So, what’s the plans for a single ladies’ night!?” Naomi appeared, in all her splendor.

“Should we have put a ring on it?” Virgil asked appearing behind Naomi.

“Obviously, we’re fabulous,” Naomi announced with her glee as she shrugged.

“We have the prettiest girls in the League on our arms,” Duke decided. David nodded, and Virgil chuckled.

“Girl, we are gonna dance, have too much to drink, and have fun all night long!” Naomi announced grabbing her wrist in glee and dragging her to the throng of the party.

“You heard the little lady! Let’s go,” Virgil declared.

“I’ll go visit Nightwing,” David said. Raquel chuckled as she stumbled into Virgil as the JL musicians struck up a song.

“Shall we?” he offered.

“When have you ever asked for permission!?” she teased.

“I’ll have you know that my pops drilled some manners into me!” Virgil joked.

“Obviously not enough,” Duke shot as Naomi grabbed him.

“I wanna dance!” she declared.

* * *

Raquel was chuckling as she landed in a chair in the mostly Watch Tower. “I can’t Virgil, I couldn’t possibly do another set.”

“Oh come on, you can’t bale on me like this,” Virgil pleaded.

“I do need to go home,” Raquel sighed.

“Okay, fair, but…” Virgil started until he saw a pretty girl looking lonely for a dance.

“Go, I’ll stay a moment, after that I do have to go home,” she promised.

“I’ll take you back,” he promised.

“I’m a big girl, Static, can kick ass all on my own,” she promised.

“Remember what I said earlier about me having manners, I should walk a pretty girl to her door and make sure she’s safe again.”

“I see, we’ll see how you’re doing after this dance,” she mused and watched him chase after the girl for a dance. It must be the electric powers or something because Virgil always had energy! Slipping off her heels she groaned at the relief before lightly massaging her arches. There was a groan under the table which had her jumping slightly before she peered under it.

“Oh for Christsakes!” she sputtered to see a very drunk Dick Grayson with an askew domino mask laying on the floor with a broken sniffer. She sat up and looked around for a Bat; she couldn’t see Duke or Naomi being here, as they had disappeared when they were making out heavily, David had vanished, she wasn’t seeing Red Robin or Black Bat anywhere either. Sighing she didn’t know what other Bat to look for before she got up and carefully pulled the limp man out from under the table, struggling to prop him up into a chair she slumped in exertion from the feat. What was this guy!? Boneless!? She was fighting a hundred- and eighty-pound wet limp noodle!

Finally, he was in the chair, she gasped as she collapsed in her chair; he was huge and she was thinking an invertebrate too.

Dick crashed forward painfully on the table, she winced as she pulled out her phone to call Duke or David for advice on what to do with their brother.

“This is Duke, leave a message and I’ll hit ya back! Later!”

“Heyya Duke, I have a drunk limp noodle, who appears unconscious here, and the party’s ending. Need to know what to do, I can’t just leave his pathetic ass here,” she stated and hung up. She didn’t try David as looked at the time and sighed. She needed to get home, now, and get some shut eye. She had church in the morning.

Looking out at the thinning party she saw the staff cleaning up, and knew that the JL staffers while good with identities of heroes were not cleared for Bat identities; no one to her knowledge really was. Dick groaned slightly, Raquel turned to talk to Virgil on what to do, only to see he was gone, looking back at Dick she sighed.

“Okay, fine,” she muttered. Picking up her shoes she stood before struggling to get the limp form of Dick Grayson. It was better he go to her place than have a staffer leak his identity by accident. Of all the damn heroes in the JL the Bats were the most hated and nefarious.

Raquel did not know how she managed to get to her city, call an Uber, and get to the apartment with Dick limply dragged along but she knew she had made it to her front door, her chest heaving as she kicked it so someone could come get it. If she set Dick down again she wouldn’t get him up, and he was crushing her right now, which had her legs trembling to support his drunken weight.

“Raquel!” Augustus sputtered when he opened the door.

“Take him!” she pleaded. He did so with ease and she sighed as she stumbled in the door, propping herself up on the sideboard of August’s apartment.

“Thanks,” she panted.

“And what are you doing? Abduction is illegal.”

“It’s a Bat, I couldn’t leave him in the WT, and I can’t get a hold of Duke or David to come get him,” she admitted kicking off her painful shoes.

Augustus sighed, but she could see from his resigned look that he agreed with her.

“Look, he can sleep in my room, I’ll take the couch,” Raquel resigned.

“I think not, this boy is enough trouble, he’ll have the couch. I’ll make sure the foolish human doesn’t die of alcohol poisoning,” Augustus stated.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” she started.

“No.”

“Okay, I’ll set up the couch,” she said as she walked to the linen closet in Augustus’ apartment and pulled the needed sheets. Augustus lived in a nice building, in a three bedroom apartment, he had been fine with allowing her and Amistad take up residence in his home, converting his previous office into Amistad’s room while giving her a room as well. She had lived with him all through college, and struggled with her jobs and being a superhero. If it wasn’t for Augustus she didn’t think she’d have survived that first week with Amistad.

Finishing the preparations Raquel watched as Augustus put Dick on the couch and covered him.

“It must be difficult,” she murmured, staring at the older, broken man. Nightwing, a hero all heroes strived to be like, the man who commanded the respect of even the most senior League members, world leaders, and intergalactic leaders. He was a good man, he was a man people admired.

Augustus looked at her with a lifted brow then.

“Too lose the love of your life to murder and never solve it,” she murmured for clarification at Augustus’ silent inquiry.

“It is not fair, but life is rarely fair,” Augustus replied.

Raquel nodded. “Thanks, for helping him out,” she said.

“Goodnight Raquel,” he smiled a bit at her and she smiled at him knowing he wasn’t crossed with her as she walked to her room and collapsed face first on her bed.

* * *

Dick woke to something suffocating him and jolted awake, groaning in pain at the light as he rolled away.

“Amistad!” a sharp woman’s voice snapped. “What did I tell you!?”

“He’s awake mama!” a child’s voice announced.

“Go to pops,” she ordered and Dick winced as he peeled an eye open to brave a look over his shoulder. She was dressed up, beautifully, a pale yellow dress, and her pixie cut hair curling a bit. There were gold earrings and a simple gold necklace around her neck, her dark eyes were fixed firmly on him and her lips were drawn in a tight line. He recognized the look on her face; and though he recognized her face; for the life of him, he couldn’t remember her name. He’d seen her around David and Duke’s gang of heroes, she was…

“Do you know where you are?”

“No,” he grunted.

“Do you know who I am?”

“No,” he moaned as he rubbed his hands over his face. It felt like there was an axe driven in his skull splitting it in half. Why couldn’t he just die already!?

“Do you know who you are?”

“Dick Grayson.”

“What’s the last think you remember?”

“Party,” he grumbled.

“Good, that’s where I got you from. Get up, get presentable, you have fifteen minutes.”

“For what?”

“It’s Sunday in my house, Mr. Grayson. Sunday we all go to church. Get up.”

“I don’t go to church,” he mumbled. Dick had never been a particularly religious man and as the past couple of years had showed him, he wasn’t going to get a better life, Kori was gone.

“You do today, get up,” she snapped and walked off.

Dick peeled an eye open to stare at a little kid about Mar'i’s age staring at him with wide brown eyes.

“Let’s get ready,” the older man said picking up the kid and walking off. Groaning Dick pulled himself upright on the couch; the room spun a little. There were pills and water on the coffee table for him he assumed which had him taking them, he looked around at the apartment he was in. It was old, had character; Jay would’ve loved it, and from the photos hanging on the wall of city skylines and historical texts, with the other artifacts, he’d guess he was in a history lover’s apartment. Slowly he got up to his legs just as the woman reappeared, her profile was very familiar as she pulled on her glove; she was young, about Duke’s age he’d guess.

“You’re Rocket,” he said as he rubbed his temple and leaned on the arch wishing he’d died.

“Very good Mr. Grayson,” she said with mock praise in her voice. “Go wash up, you’re not going to church looking like that.”

“I’m not religious,” he grumbled as he rubbed his eyes now. Everything hurt, and he was seeing sounds. Why wasn’t he dead already?

“I’m not either, but we’re going anyway,” she stated.

“I need to go back to Gotham,” he grumbled.

“Seeing as how your brothers left you in the Watch Tower, I would say it’s safe to assume they do not want you around,” she warned briskly.

Dick wasn’t surprised, Jason had literally thrown him through a window in anger when he had seen him alive for the first time. Tim and Cass had been the most welcoming of him coming back from the ‘dead’, B too, Damian was watching him like a hawk, but the rest were giving him their tempers. Especially over his recent drinking; and his kids. Dick didn’t get it, it wasn’t like he could be a parent for Mar'i and Jake without Kori. And Alfred had recently left recovery and substance abuse pamphlets in his room; not very subtle if you asked him, and Julia had pitched the loose liquor and changed the locks on the wine cellar. Not that it mattered.

“Look, thanks for what you’ve done,” he started.

“You do not get to be an invertebrate today, Mr. Grayson. Get presentable, we are leaving in ten minutes.” Rocket walked past him.

“Mama what’s an invertebrate?” the little kid asked.

“A spineless creature, like a jellyfish or octopus,” she answered. “And where are your good shoes baby?”

“I got mud on them,” the kid giggled.

“I see, go get them,” she ordered.

“I don’t wanna!”

“We all do things we don’t want to, Amistad, go get the shoes,” Rocket ordered. She glared at him as her child trotted past him and he got the message. Hurt her child, she’d end him; he would welcome the end.

“Rocket, I don’t think,” he started.

“You will call me Miss Ervin while we are civilians, Mr. Grayson,” she warned. “And get ready,” she stated. She breezed past him as she shoved a toothbrush into his hands.

Dick blinked a few times at this action but gave up protesting.

“Pst!” the little boy appeared then and pointed at a door decorated with sea creatures. “That’s the bafroom,” he said and disappeared into the room he was in.

“Amistad, you better have your shoes,” Rocket’s voice carried firmly through the small hallway and Dick stepped over the kid as he darted by without a care in the world. Jake was like that, Mar'i didn’t do that around him anymore. Brushing his teeth he managed to straighten his shirt a bit, and crave a drink when he looked at his haggard face. His eyes were bloodshot with deep bruising beneath them, which had him groaning as he washed his face a little. Pulling out his phone he looked at the messages, but saw nothing new. He opened the last voicemail he had from Kori and listened to it again; he always listened to it.

“Three minutes, Mr. Grayson,” Rocket’s voice came sharply from the other side of the door, causing him to jump a bit.

He wished Jason had just left him in hell where he could die.

* * *

Raquel had never been a heavily religious woman, never in her childhood had she gone to church.

It was only after her emancipation and living with Augustus that Augustus insisted, she go. Fifteen, scared and pregnant, feeling very alone was not good for her or the baby, Augustus had persuaded her, despite her rationings against going to go. Actually, it was an ultimatum. While she resided under his roof she would go to church; she did not have to believe the sermons or any of the religious talks; she kept her views on that to herself, but she would go and she would get involved with the community. The picnics, the community service, the book clubs, little league, barbeques. Church had given Raquel a community, it had given her people who; unlike the gangs and the streets, and even her own family; supported her and helped her out. It was a true sense of community.

She relied on it, especially with being a single, teenage working mom; she had had a job bagging groceries and going to school and being a superhero. There was also her gymnastics, which had aided her in getting into college; with Jefferson Peirce’s help. And now she was doing just fine.

But it was those good folks at the church who had helped her out; almost as much as Augustus. They had donated clothes for Amistad, babysat him, looked after him when she couldn’t, and they had actually made her single motherhood bearable. She had had women who helped her through her pregnancy, talked her through her fears and worries, she had had everything she needed. She didn’t need Noble or her mother.

Augustus introduced her as her daughter, and it was just that simple. Though at the time their partnership was new and uncertain, he hadn’t hesitated to be her support.

Once Amistad had his cleaned shoes on his feet she turned in time to see Dick standing in the archway, looking extremely hung over and uncomfortable.

“Ready to go,” Augustus stated.

“Yes,” she picked up Amistad so he didn’t run into a puddle of mud first. Dick straggled behind, but she sidestepped to walk behind him. He was a Bat, and if he was like Duke or David she had no doubts he could weasel his way out of this if he wanted. Her phone chirped as she put Amistad in his carseat. Dick was seated in the front passenger seat at her insistence.

Pulling out her phone she saw it was a number she didn’t recognize, but the message was one she did.

It was a Bat.

-This is Jason. You contacted my brother, Duke and I got your number from him, about our idiot brother, Dickhead, I will be there to retrieve him in a few hours. I apologize for his idiocy now.

-No problems, we will be at church.

She felt odd texting out full words and sentences for this stranger, but his message was done that way. And while she did not know much about the other Bats she had heard from David that Jason was a bit of a language and grammar fiend.

* * *

Jason wrangled Jake, Mar'i and Lian into their clothes, he had to take Terry and Lian to hockey practice this morning before dropping Mar'i off with Helena to Harley and Ivy’s. Jake, Matt, and he were going to originally have a guy’s day out but apparently that was thwarted so he was making arrangements with Cass to take Matt and Jake.

Bruce, Selina, Athanasia, Damian, Alina, Bruce Jr., and Thomas were all on a trip to Italy for both business and pleasure; Tim and Stephanie were at a hotel in Los Angles sorting out their relationship and what they wanted from it. Duke and Naomi were going to go meet Naomi’s parents this weekend for a trip of whale watching while Duke asked permission for Naomi’s hand. David was on Gotham watch with Cass and him, though David was also busy today with a few meetings with prospective law firms for his internships; it might be Sunday but David had managed to fenagle it to work out to be today. Jason still didn’t know how, all he knew was that David could swing anyone and anything in his favor when he put his mind to it.

Which left it down to him, David and Cass dealing with drunk Dick’s antics. They had pulled straws; Jason had gotten the short one.

Dick was not a man who Jason would’ve thought to be a drunk, he just had never thought his brother to go down that rabbit hole. What with Dick Golden Child Grayson being so fucking perfect all the time.

But then again, Jason also didn’t think Dickhead to be the sort to fake his death, abandon his children, and family, and go undercover into a dangerous world that he had no real business in, going on suicide missions, and sleeping around randomly, while getting roaring drunk and pretty much insulting everything he had been.

Jason got it; to a degree.

Kori’s death, Dick’s terrible choice of save his child or lose both mother and child, and he understood that it was a call that made Dick think he was a murderer. But Dick hadn’t been responsible for what had happened to Kori. The person who had assaulted her was responsible. The person who left her bleeding out on the kitchen floor was responsible.

It wasn’t on them.

Kori had requested a power dampener, she had been having a hard time with her pregnancy and her powers, and she didn’t want to hurt anyone. She had built the damn thing herself. And what heavily pregnant woman would be able to reasonably defend themselves against a powerful attacker? Jason couldn’t name one; even Donna admitted that.

Dick didn’t see it all that way though and being the selfish idiot he was he had leapt into the rabbit hole to his self-destruction.

And even now, now that Jason had dragged the dumbass out of the damn rabbit hole he seemed to think he should be in, the idiot refused to pull it together. Well, Jason had other worries to attend to that were not named Dick Grayson. And Dick so did not want to get into a ‘Who’s life sucks worse’ competition with him, Jason would eat Grayson alive and spit him out and squash him if they got into that competition. No one, except maybe Athanasia or David or Cass got close to the level of suck Jason’s life had been.

“Look, you be good for everyone and maybe afterwards, you, me, Terry, Helena, Lian, Matt, and Jake will be go get ice cream,” Jason bribed the six year old Mar'i now. She was stubbornly sitting on the rafters and he really did not want to go get her.

“You promised today be us!” she protested. ‘Us’ being the horde of children, and Jason knew that. Leaning on his fridge he stared up at the little girl.

“And I’m sorry Mar'i but something’s come up,” Jason said.

“No.”

“Yes Mar'i.”

“NO! It involves Daddy! It doesn’t count!” she squawked.

“Mar'i, you daddy’s very sick,” he started.

“No!” Mar'i shrieked as she flew to her room in his warehouse and slammed the door with all her strength.

Jason groaned as his head fell back.

“Why do you have to go help Dick?” Terry asked, and Jason looked down at the duckling. Terry was standing by his knee and looking up at him with large blue eyes.

“Well, it’s kind of like, you know when your mad at Dami or Helena?” he asked.

Terry nodded.

“If they were in trouble, and even if you were mad, what do you do?” Jason asked patiently.

“Help them,” Terry answered as if it’s obvious.

“Exactly. Well Dickhead’s our big brother and he’s in trouble,” Jason said patiently.

“But you promised,” Terry started.

“How about this, you guys do everything normal, like we always do, practice, and lunch with Cass, and if I’m back tonight we do a back to back special of Finding Nemo and Finding Dory?” he offered.

“And if you’re not?”

“I chain Dickhead up in the basement, throw away the key and we have a super fun weekend next weekend,” he offered.

“Deal!” Terry announced running up to Mar'i’s room to bribe her.

Jason rubbed his temples as he cursed Dick Grayson’s existence again.

The idiot was now, officially, the biggest fuck up that Jason Todd had ever met; which was saying something because before Jason would say he was the biggest fuck up on the planet. Rae might argue that, but he said her point was moot as they were best friends.

Mar'i begrudgingly did what Jason asked. Once all the kids were taken to their perspective locations Jason got on his bike and headed for Freeland; if he pushed it, he’d be there in by this evening. He already knew there was no way in hell he’d be back tonight.

* * *

Raquel chuckled as she waved off Mrs. Whitmore and watched Amistad play with a group of boys in the field after church. There was a barbeque going, because it was the late service and it had let out closer to noon than eleven today. Raquel was getting a hotdog with copious amounts of ketchup for Amistad while Augustus was talking with Reverend Bright. She saw Dick leaning heavily on a tree, no one was really talking to him, though many people were looking and whispering about him. She rolled her eyes as she picked up her clutch, marching over with two burgers, and Amistad’s hotdog to the sullen man.

“Here,” she pushed the burger in his hands. He blinked. “You might as well eat, I bet you haven’t eaten since last night,” she chided.

“You don’t have to do this,” he grumbled.

“I don’t, I’m doing this because you won’t,” she stated.

“Look, I should be going,” he said.

“After you eat your burger, and your brother comes to get you, Mr. Grayson.”

“What?”

“That’s right, your brother, Jason, has texted me, he’s coming to get you,” Raquel said as she took a hefty bite of her burger. It was good, she loved church barbeques for the food alone!

“Raquel,” Jefferson Peirce appeared through the crowd then.

“Hey Jeff,” she smiled as he came over. Jefferson’s jovial mood evaporated at the sight of Dick Grayson though, she could see it.

“And who do we have here?” Jefferson asked.

“This is my friend’s brother, Duke’s brother, Jefferson, this is Dick Grayson,” she said. Dick must’ve sensed Jefferson’s dislike for him because he tried to back off. “Dick is a guest of ours today, his brother will be by to take him home later.”

“I don’t need to remind you to be careful Raquel,” Jefferson said sharply.

“Of course not,” she smiled. “Dick’s been a very good guest,” she promised. Jefferson glared at Dick before walking off to talk with others in the community.

“I know he doesn’t like us, but damn,” Dick muttered.

“You and Kori helped his daughter’s business get off the ground, but other than that, no, he does not like you. He does not agree with any of Bruce’s politics, or actions,” she admitted.

“B’s not that bad.”

“Look at it from an outsider’s point of view based off of only what tabloid’s and newspapers print? Bruce Wayne, a rich man, with known womanizing ways, in charge of the ever growing, expanding and most powerful company on Earth who adopts random children off the street, and married a woman suspected of being a thief. There is not much to like about him, and many believe he has only gotten this far off his father’s and mother’s names and the tragedy alone,” Raquel stated.

“You don’t think that, do you?” Dick asked.

She shrugged daintily. “Before I knew Duke, and David, yes, I would think that. He does not have a good image.”

“B’s opened a lot of criminal reform programs, and job opportunities for the poor and criminals, he’s also opened safe homes for kids, teens, and young adults, while creating job opportunities for people who have incomplete educations, allowing them to get a trade and attend school. He’s also reestablished low income housing while gentrifying some of the more dangerous areas of Gotham.”

“Yes, he has, but it all looks like a stunt,” she informed him.

“How? He doesn’t attend any of the grand functions that people throw him.”

“Because he’s turning around and doing the opposite when he takes over other companies,” she stated. “He’s also got a notorious reputation for stepping out and being a playboy, and every single one of you, are children of tragedy,” she pointed out. “It appears poorly to the public. On top of that, your father…”

“He’s not my father!” Dick snapped furiously. “Bruce Wayne took me in, trained me, gave me a home and love, he got me into the best schools and gave me a fighting shot at life, but he is not my father. My father died with my mother, because a mobster was denied protection money he wasn’t owed. Bruce is a mentor, a friend, a brother, and father figure to me, but he is not my father.”

“Is a father figure not the same thing as a father?” she challenged.

“No. No it is not.” Dick said icily.

“No need to get defensive, Mr. Grayson,” Raquel shrugged. “Point is, Jefferson Peirce does not like Bruce or anyone in his family really; aside from Duke, David and Cass really.”

“Everyone loves Cass,” Dick dismissed.

“So it would appear,” she agreed. Cassandra Cain, America’s Princess was beloved by all, there was no wrong Cass could do. Everyone else in the Wayne family was a different matter, but Cassandra Cain was beloved and adored.

“I should really get going,” Dick said.

“Where too? Another bar or a liquor store perhaps?” she asked. Yes, she knew it wasn’t her business but she felt the need to say it anyway.

“Does it really fucking matter?” he muttered sourly.

“It should.”

“Look lady,” he snorted.

“It’s Miss Ervin,” she snapped sharply. He blinked rapidly several times at her before he nodded slightly.

“Miss Ervin, no one much cares about how the hell I spend my time anymore.”

“That’s a pity that you feel that way,” she shrugged.

“What?” he growled.

“Nothing.”

“You’re a very judgmental woman,” he grounded out.

“Yes, I am.”

“Then just say what you want to say!” he snapped out irritably.

“Fine, you are selfish, self-absorbed, superior, self-righteous asshole who is incapable of acknowledging that tragedy is not the end of everything! You left your children, your family, and everything you think about is you and your loss, and you are not the center of the universe!” Raquel snapped. “You have no idea the wreckage you inflicted upon your family or the friendships you’ve destroyed because you’re hurt, you’re grieving, but you haven’t stopped to look around yourself to see if everyone around you in the same pain, about the same reasons, and you just inflict more pain because you’re not accepting help. Your own family left you drunk, limp noodle drunk in the Watch Tower, that should tell you something. Get help Grayson!”

“I’m fine, I don’t need help,” he said.

“You can lie to every one else, but do not think for a second you can lie to the outsider looking in on the wreckage you’re making of your own life,” she warned as her eyes narrowed on him.

“Look, you don’t know the first thing about me.”

“And you don’t know me.”

“You have no right to judge me!”

“Maybe not, but if you dare to leave before your brother comes for you I will sic the cops on you as a missing person,” she snapped. “Jason is coming,” she warned.

“Then I have no reason to bolt or hide, Jason has already proven to be the world’s greatest hunter and tracker,” Dick sneered. “I couldn’t hide from him now even if I wanted to. Even if I had a month’s head start. And I think the only reason he didn’t track me down the first time, was because he lost everything and stole everything from me.”

“How could he steal what you threw away!?”

“You don’t understand a damn thing,” he snapped as he stalked off.

She rolled her eyes as she look back to watch Amistad run around with his friends. Dick, like a dark cloud was sulking by the shadows of the church. Her phone buzzed in her clutch, which had her pulling it out.

_-ETA 8 hrs._

_-I will keep him busy to for the day._

_-Thx. Don’t let him drink._

_-I do not control him._

_-No one does._

Jason seemed a no-nonsense person from these texts, and she didn’t know what to expect from that Bat though. She didn’t know what to expect from any Bat.

Sighing she leaned on a tree and tried to figure out how to help this broken man, she didn’t know what to do, it wasn’t even her problem. She never wanted to be involved, but now she felt that she was. Raquel didn’t like that, she didn’t like feeling that she was going to help even if it killed her.

He was a Bat, so that was probably going to be a reality they’d have to face. Bastard was going to be a pain in the ass.

* * *

Dick glared at the scene around him.

He hated them. He hated all this. He hated life, he hated that he was forced to live here and she was gone. There was nothing he could do, or enjoy without seeing or remembering her, he hated that he was stuck here without her.

And he hated that Miss Ervin had dared to think it was her place to butt in.

* * *

Jason supposed a twelve hour ride down to Freeland should help him cool his temper, but he didn’t think he had cooled. He was at Quick Trip, filling up his bike as he looked over a map for the address Raquel Ervin had sent him. He’d be there in fifteen according to Waiz; provided he didn’t get shot in the ganglands. Freeland, next to the Suicide Slums had some of the worst gang violence, and far outclassed New Orleans or Metairie for gun violence.

He was kind of hoping to be shot before he got his hands on Dick.

There was a ring from his phone and he answered.

“Jay, I just got back, have you gotten him yet?” Duke’s voice filled his ear.

“No, I’ll have him, and be on a plane forty minutes after that, provided I don’t get shot getting to or from there,” he said levelly to his brother.

“I can fly home,” Duke started.

“No point, just enjoy the McDuffies, I won’t kill his sorry ass.” Jason wasn’t going to Jake and Mar'i’s dad; no matter how tempting. But this wouldn’t stop him from beating Dick’s thick head in to get the point across that he was drinking his life away.

“You’re sure?”

“Look, I might not be Dick’s biggest fan on the planet right now, but this isn’t about me, it’s about Mar'i and Jake, and this is Dick’s cut off, intervention, whatever you want to think of it back, but this is his last chance.”

“Jay, be nice,” Duke started.

“No, no I will not be nice, it has been two and a half years, Duke, and in that time, he got shot in the head, for real, used that to fake his death, made us give him a funeral and grieve him, orphaned his kids, or so we thought. He then, after faking his death, proceeded to assume the alias Ric Grayson, joined a super-secret squirrel spy agency called Spyral, became Agent 37, and leapt into the civil war of the League of Assassins, something none of you except for me, and maybe Damian, knows anything about. I, then, after vowing never to go back to that life, went, got him back, dragged his drunkard, lecherous ass back to Gotham after I had ended the civil war, and have now obtained a title I never wanted with debts to pay. And on top of that, he’s been involved with the daughter of business associates of mine, the first woman he’s involved with after Kori and she’s a mafia princess. Not just any mafia princess either! She’s Helena Rosa Bertinelli of the Bertinelli Family! So, Duke, I will not be nice when none of us are wanting to be nice to him in return. The asshole brought this all upon himself,” he pointed out.

“And now that he’s back, and virtually all of you have cut him off, and I can’t because I have to think about what’s best for his kids, he won’t even bother to get straightened out to be a member of our highly dysfunctional, crazy family, he’s not a brother, or uncle, and he’s certainly not being a hero like he wants. I have proceeded, in this time, to get calls from Gordon, about my missing brother, who is a detective in the major cases unit, something he wanted, and he can’t even bother to show up for work. So, to recap, I’m in positions, and debts, I don’t want for him, I’m also in charge of his two kids who are under ten, and I have to deal with Gordon, because B and you guys have virtually cut him off, because unlike you lot, I’m in charge of his children and their welfare!”

“Jay,” Duke started.

“This is his intervention,” Jason stated. “Go back to having a good time with the McDuffies, make a good impression. Not all of us have to dragged down with the drama of Dick Golden Child Grayson,” Jason said firmly and hung up.

Groaning he rubbed his eyes, cursed the gods, fates, and whatever else the universe had to throw at him for shoving his sorry ass in this mess. He’d curse Raven, but he couldn’t really stay pissed at her. He had stolen her mind, she had come after it, the fall out of that while being his family reunions; when he didn’t want them, weren’t something he could rightfully be pissed at her for. Rae, if she was still alive, would be here to help him with Dick, even if she was cursing Dick every step of the way.

His phone rang again.

“Hello,” he answered.

“I heard you’re chasing after Dick again,” Wally said.

“Yeah, someone has to,” he sighed.

Stipulations in Kori and Dick’s will had named Jake and Mar'i’s godparents; Raven and Wally West, guardians in the events of their death. Raven was dead, so she couldn’t be their guardian. Wally West was married, and he and his wife; Artemis West, née Crock, had talked it over seriously, with B, Cat, Alfred, and himself, about what was best for Mar'i and Jake. Mar'i and never known anything outside of Gotham, and Jake was not even six months old, Jason had been the one to step up. He hadn’t volunteered, not really, but he had three things that made him a better pick than B and Cat. He was okay with taking on Mar'i and Jake, it made life a bit challenging, but Bats were a huge clan, and Wally constantly checked up on and in on with Mar'i and Jake.

“How are Jake and Mar'i then?”

“Not happy, but Cass is spoiling them this weekend,” Jason said.

“I’ll stop by later,” Wally said.

“Alright, Frozen III is what Mar'i wants to see, Jake wants to see SCOOB II,” Jason said.

“I dibs Frozen!”

“Deal, I got the better end of this get together,” Jason decided.

He had met the actual members of Mystery Inc.; a serious, but small Private Investigating firm, for the supernatural and regular weirdness, in Coolsville, Maine, and liked the crew. They had become famous cartoon characters, books and popular culture because of Fred Jones’ books, the series of _Scooby-Doo! Where Are You!?_ and _What’s New Scooby-Doo!?_, both series were based from Fred Jones’ life and the Mystery Inc.’s actual cases. It revolved around his childhood best friends and fellow investigators, Velma Dinkley, Norville ‘Shaggy’ Rogers, Daphne Blake and a talking Great Dane, named Scooby-Doo. Jason had gotten all the books signed for himself, Jake and Mar'i.

The books in the series _Scooby-Doo! Where Are You!?_ were an adult book series in the genres of mystery, supernatural, and horror, all well written and well received by the public. The children series; _What’s New Scooby-Doo?_, was geared for children, with beautiful picture books, and classified as children’s mysteries. They were Mar'i and Jake’s favorite bedtime stories; especially since the child’s adaptations to make the cartoons, and the newest movie; SCOOB! II. They were the only child’s shows that Jason loved; genuinely loved. He had come to tolerate a lot of kids shows, but he loved anything with Scooby-Doo. He was a sucker for dogs, especially since Ace had saved him from Joker.

“Alright, deal, and Dick?”

“Last chance before I’m cutting him off. I need to think of what’s best for Jake and Mar'i,” he sighed.

“I’m sorry about this,” Wally said.

“He’s your best friend,” Jason snorted.

“But he’s your brother,” Wally pointed out.

“Yeah, well, he’s always been the shitty brother for me,” Jason dismissed. “Look, I’ll either get him to listen or I won’t, but this is his last chance.”

“That’s fair.” Wally agreed.

“I have to do what’s best for Mar'i and Jake,” Jason said.

“Yeah, we do, and this outcome is for what’s best, but as their legal guardian I’m putting stipulations on this,” Wally said.

“Fair, whatever the outcome we’ll talk it over after this is sorted out,” he said.

“Deal.”

“Talk to you then,” he said hanging up. Jason sighed as he texted Raquel he’d be there in fifteen. She texted back she had just put her kid down for bed so to be very quiet or she’d have his balls in a sling. He was fine with that.

* * *

Raquel crept out of Amistad’s room, shutting the door behind her carefully as she tried not to hit a single squeaky floorboard. She had read him the latest _What’s New Scooby-Doo!?_ book, and he was out like a light! She could almost do a happy dance in glee at that triumph. Sleep was something Amistad fought her on every night, especially since he had outgrown naps, she could do a happy dance in glee at the success of getting her stubborn boy down for a nap.

Dick was brooding on her couch. He hadn’t bothered to run off after she had informed him his brother was coming. Apparently, according to the texts from Duke and David it entirely depended upon which sibling was coming after them as to what they did. If it was Jason or Cass, you might as well sit down an wait for them, because it didn’t matter where you went, they were coming after you; they were juggernauts when they were set in motion. If it was Tim after you, you better get cash and somewhere with no Wi-Fi, cell reception, or satellite coverage, have no technology in reach either, because otherwise he’d find you.

“I have to go into work,” Augustus said as he appeared tying on his tie.

“It’s nine o’clock at night!” she protested.

“My client is getting antsy, they’ve requested to talk. They testify tomorrow,” he said.

“Oh, be safe,” she said as Augustus walked out. Her father figure smiled as he left, waving and walked out.

“What’s he a lawyer for?”

“Civil cases, he’s currently working on a case to better the public schooling system,” she said.

“Oh,” he nodded. Raquel said nothing more as she walked to her room. Changing quickly into a pair of leggings, wool socks, and a ratty, cropped hoodie she picked up her laptop and walked to the kitchen table to continue her apartment hunt in Philadelphia. Her job was a reporter with Philadelphia Inquirer, she was very proud of this, she started in September. Until then, she had to get herself, Amistad, and very possibly Augustus, an apartment in Phili.

Augustus had said he’d like to stay with his family, and his identity here was running out of time, people would soon start noticing he wasn’t aging like them. Philadelphia would be a fresh start. He also mentioned he had never made it up north and wondered what the Union looked like. She reminded him that the civil war happened a hundred years ago, to which he had snorted and chuckled at. The plus was, with Augustus’ knowledge of Constitutional Law, he could get a very different job in Philadelphia and do a different kind of aid, something he was actually looking forward to. It would be very different from civil rights, but he was looking forward to it, to a new start.

Logging onto Zillow, Raquel started her apartment hunt. It was about thirty minutes into the hunt, and she was looking in an area close to Adrian’s, which was a cute little Italian restaurant she had had her interview in. The restaurant was owned by Heavy Weight Champion, Rocky Balboa, it was very cool in her mind. Raquel had a very big affection for boxing, it was a hard sport, and if she hadn’t been a gymnast, she was pretty sure she’d have been a boxer.

There was a buzz on the intercom, which had her scrambling for it before it woke Amistad.

“Hello?” she answered as she pressed the button.

“It’s Jason,” was the terse reply. She saw Dick tensing as he stood.

“Come on up, but my kid is sleeping, so you wake him, I end you,” she warned.

“Understood.”

* * *

Dick had tensed when he heard Jason’s voice on the intercom. The last time he had spoken with Jason was when his brother had dragged him out of the drunk tank at work. His partner, Renee Montoya had felt it necessary to toss him in there when he had called her up for a ride from the bar because the tender wasn’t giving him his keys. Renee had, since then, been leaving him information on the GCPD recovery programs within the department, and it was annoying the hell out of him. B and Alfred had kicked him out of the Mansion, after he had blown up at Alfred for leaving him a thousand and on Alcohol Recovery Program brochures, and he was pissed at Wally for his statements that he had a problem. And he was furious with his family for sticking their noses where they didn’t belong, especially since Tiger had gotten Jason to come and get him out of Spyral.

No one got it! No one could understand his pain! No one!

His wife was brutally murdered! He had had to choose between saving his son and killing his wife; and that was exactly how it had played out. But if he had done nothing he’d have lost both Jake and Kori, and he hated everything for having put him in that position. But mostly, he hated himself for making that decision, for finding no leads to what happened to Kori, or who had killed her.

Raquel pulled open the door, and he found himself staring at his baby brother’s looming frame. Jason’s eyes were glowing green, and he looked pissed, with the ugly scars on his face, and the shadowy lighting of the hallway, Jason looked like a gruesome monster.

* * *

Raquel blinked up at the tall man, his eyes were a brilliant shade of green, and almost seemed to be glowing. His face had a nasty few scars, but the one that seemed to distort his features was the J carved into his left cheek. There was a flop of white hair on his brow, a brush of freckles that she could see, and his hulking frame made everything about him dangerous. He was more dangerous than any Kingpin or gangster she had met. And his furious gaze narrowed right onto Dick, who she glanced at, looked apprehensive about this.

“Good evening,” Jason greeted her. His voice was rough, the Gotham was thick in his accent, and that tenor was soft, as he finally looked at her. “I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Jason. Duke and David’s older brother.”

“They both spoken very highly of you,” she said.

He snorted. “No need to lie, darling, I’m a bastard and I bet they’ve said as much.”

“I believe in the best for people,” Raquel stated.

“Fair. So what do I owe you for your troubles for taking care of Dickhead?” he asked.

“He’s not a child I babysat.” She stated.

“Might as well be,” Jason said.

“It was no trouble,” she insisted.

“You are a very sweet liar,” he decided.

“If you want to repay me, then let’s talk, outside,” she said. “We’ll be right back, Dick,” she warned as she grabbed her keys and Jason nodded as they walked back outside. Jason seemed to be a warning, she noted as the thugs disappeared back into the shadows of the night the moment he walked outside. She felt safe with him, she could understand why Red Hood was so revered, his civilian presence was all just commanding.

“I’m concerned about him,” Raquel said firmly as she folded her arms. “I worried that you guys are not the healthiest people for him to be around,” she said.

“Fair concern,” he acknowledged.

“But…?” she prompted for him.

“But nothing,” he shrugged. “Dick has, in the last two years become a functioning drunk, and I saw that because I’ve watched him down two or three bottles of hard liquor and not even stumble. I say this as a person who grew up with a drunk and an addict as parents, so it’s not like I’m seeing things or mistaking what is happening with Dick, it’s not like I’m misunderstanding his reactions or his problems. But he is not my priority, or my main worry.

“My main worries, and my main priorities, they are six and a half and two and a half. I am responsible for two powerful children who think they are orphan because of his actions. I am responsible for what is best for them.

“And right now, my family is done with Dick, and the only reason I am not, is because of those two children. Dick has burned us, burned bridges, committed sins which are unforgivable by my standard, and if you know who I am you know my standard for unforgivable is pretty damn low. I did not come here because I wanted to, or because it was the right thing to do, I did not come here to save Dick. To be frank there’s not a whole hell of a lot of Dick left to be saved.

“I’ve already saved him from his suicide quest, I’ve pulled him out of war, and bars, and drunkenness, I have been there for the melt down and whiplashes of his tempter, and I have put up with everything in between. You cannot even begin to understand the lash outs of Dick Grayson. What this is, is his last chance, I’ll get him back to Gotham, but if he won’t pull his shit together then the only thing I can’t save him from. I can’t make him save himself either, this is his last chance, I will admit that. But not because I hate him or am giving up on his sorry ass, but because I have to prioritize Mar'i and Jake over Dick, that is the price for caring for them.”

“I understand that.”

“Then I’ll take him home, and whatever happens after that, that’s on him, it’s not on you or me, or anyone in my family.”

“You…”

“There is a point where he is responsible for his own actions, I will not coddle him or stand by him, I won’t do it. I have his kids to think about,” he stated firmly.

“Then… if he accepts help, I would like to offer support. Outside support helps sometimes.”

“If he takes the help, sure,” he shrugged.

“Alright, then, come on,” she sighed as she unlocked her building and walked in, Jason followed her. They walked back to her apartment in silence, when she opened her door she saw Dick standing there very nervously, looking between her and his brother.

Jason’s face, though set in a menacing expression, was impassive. The shadows seemed to quiver in the apartment, but nothing happened.

“Jason.”

“Shut it.” Jason ordered softly. “This is your last shot Dick. I get you back to Gotham, and you have two choices,” he warned softly walking past her. “I will personally drive you to a rehab facility that has a bed on hold for you, or we get to Gotham and you can go find the nearest bar to dive into and never contact us again and I will keep Mar'i and Jake and you will never see them again.”

“I don’t have a problem Jason!” Dick started to protested.

“How much did you drink?”

“Today?” he whispered.

“Yes.”

“Nothing,” Raquel stated.

“I…”

“I thought as much,” Jason said walking forward to his brother folding his arms. “You have a fucking problem Dick. And it’s out of control. You are out of control.”

Raquel was impressed, she sensed a great rage within Jason, but she also heard every word he said was measured, leveled, clipped and to the point. She was also pissed to figure out she had missed Dick Grayson drinking somehow, because the man just looked guilty as she glared at him in her fury. He’d been drinking and around her kid, she wanted to neuter him.

“Dick, in case you take your last chance, and decide to change, here’s my number,” Raquel said walking over and jotting it down. “You might want it or need it, if you ever decide you want a friend.” She offered him the paper and Dick nodded.

“Come on, we have a flight to catch. Mis Ervin, it was a pleasure to meet you, and I apologize for this asshole,” Jason stated as he stalked out. Dick just followed without a backwards look, and she shut her apartment door.

“Mama?” a small voice grabbed her attention.

“Yes baby?”

“I’m thirsty,” Amistad yawned, appearing in the archway.

“Of course, let’s get you some warm milk,” she mused scooping up her baby boy. He nodded sleepily as he rubbed his eye, looking very pouty.


End file.
